"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." So goes the famous United States Postal Service Creed. But some local residents are wondering why any other issues would prohibit them from receiving their mail.
Patrick Still, of Dexter, has lived in his residence for 16 years. During that time, he said he has had the same postal carrier; and seeing her deliver the mail on foot was a common and welcome sight. But last year, Still said he and other residents on North Sassafrass Street were informed they needed to place free-standing mailboxes in front of their homes next to the street.
"We did what we were told," Still explained. "Everyone did. If you look down the road, you'll see some people didn't have the money to buy a mailbox, so they took what was on their house and nailed it to a post and planted in next to the road. So, we did what we were told, and plenty of us aren't getting our mail."
Still said he was informed that mail would not be delivered if a vehicle was parked in front of a mailbox.
"The problem is, there's no parking available," Still complained. "I have a really shallow drive and not much room in front of my house. We have three vehicles. Where am I supposed to park?"
Still explained he has had to resort to parking his truck in his back yard, and risk tearing up the yard, in order to keep the space in front of the mailbox clear.
"But it's a public street," Still continued. "What am I supposed to do if someone visiting one of my neighbors parks on the street and blocks my mailbox? Then I don't get my mail. It's a mess."
According to Still, the entire situation doesn't add up, and he hasn't received any kind of explanation from the local Postmaster.
"There's too many inconsistencies," Still explained. "They deliver mail on this street from their vehicle, but the streets on either side of North Sassafrass get their mail delivered on foot. I've watched it happen."
Still said he was recently informed that mail wouldn't be delivered on foot in his neighborhood because of dog attacks.
"There aren't any dogs that run loose on this street," Still explained. "There's a guy up the road that has a couple dogs; but they're inside dogs."
Dexter Police Department Chief of Police Sammy Stone said the department had received some reports of vicious dogs; but only after he had informed postal workers that the department hadn't gotten any such reports.
"It basically went like this: we had very few dog complaints from anyone, then (the Postal Service) said they believed some instances hadn't been reported, then we got a lot of reports and all of the sudden they stopped," Stone explained. "I don't know if that has anything to do with mail being delivered from a truck now as opposed to on foot or not."
According to Still, that is one of the inconsistencies.
"If a dog is loose on one street, then it stands to reason it could easily get to the next street over," Still explained. "So why deliver from a truck on one street and on foot the next street over? Is this street (North Sassafrass) really this dangerous? I live here. Children play outside on the street all the time. Why aren't there signs posted? If it's that bad, I would like to know."
Stone said he thinks the Postal Service's definition of a vicious dog could be different from the law enforcement definition.
"If a dog is barking and snarling at a mail man, that's just a dog being a dog," Stone said. "It's vicious when it actually does attack and bite."
Mounting frustration
Dexter City Administrator Mark Stidham said his office has also had to deal with various headaches concerning the local post office.
According to Stidham, it's incredibly difficult for several local residents to mount a free-standing mailbox in front of their homes.
"You can't put the mailboxes right out by the street at a lot of these houses," Stidham remarked. "There are no driveways at a lot of these houses; and at most of the homes, there is no off-street parking. It's on-street parking."
Stidham said he has heard numerous complaints like the ones from Still, including complaints from a disabled couple who have their medications delivered to their home by mail.
"It's upsetting because there's nothing we can do," Stidham explained. "The post office is run by the federal government. We're just a municipality."
Stidham said he has advised residents to contact their national representatives Sen. Roy Blunt -- R and Sen. Claire McCaskill -- D, and inform them about what is going on.
"We can ask the post office to do something," Stidham explained. "Through the years, we've worked with them; but we can't make them do anything.
"It's a growing problem that's been spreading like a blanket over the past six months. The mayor's aware of it, the Board (of Aldermen) is aware of it. But there's really nothing we can do."
Adding to the growing frustration, according to Stidham, is the fact that the post office had been sending people to Dexter City Hall to complain about not getting their mail.
"We've had some people come in and prove to us that they just got their water bill almost a month after it was sent out," Stidham explained. "We can't do anything about that. We took a bunch of those late bills to the post office and showed where we had proof when the letters were sent out. I told them to stop sending people to city hall to complain about the mail because there's nothing we can do about it.
"I hate the situation, because the people who are delivering the mail are just doing what they're told to do; but the problem seems to be getting worse. If (the post office) is going to eliminate on-foot delivery, they should just say so. But you know that will create more problems if that's what they do."
Despite repeated attempts to speak with the Postmaster at the Dexter Post Office, there was no comment from the local post office.
Stacy St. John, spokesperson for the US Postal Service, said she was informed that some Dexter residents received a letter informing them of the requirement to place mailboxes next to the road approximately two years ago. According to Still, that isn't true.
"We got our letter last year," Still commented. "I don't know about other neighborhoods, but we had to (put out a mailbox) last summer."
According to St. John, Dexter residents don't have to use their own money to erect a mailbox, as the local Postmaster told St. John he furnishes boxes and will install them. According to Still, this isn't true.
"If you look up and down my street, you can see where people did all kinds of things to make a mailbox," Still explained. "They had to do it themselves."
Still presented this reporter with a form from the post office concerning vehicles blocking his mailbox. The top of the form clearly says: "Postal regulations require customers to provide and erect at their own expense rural mail boxes which meet official standards. A recent inspection disclosed the following faults..."
"I had to buy my own box and install it," Still said. "Everyone on my street did. My neighbor spent $75."
When asked if she had heard anything concerning vicious dogs, St. John said she was told "there was an incident concerning a dog." When asked if she had been informed of numerous incidents, she said "no."
St. John went on to say that once a route has been established as motor delivery, it will stay that way.
"It's a safety issue for a carrier if they deliver from their vehicle and then have to get out on foot to deliver mail," St. John explained.
Still said he was confused by that information.
"We have two or three houses on this street where the carrier gets out of her vehicle and carries the mail to the box," Still commented.
St. John said the US Postal Service is looking at cost-saving measures and is considering all means of efficient and cost-effective delivery methods.
"Our preferred method of delivery is neighborhood boxes," St. John said. "We've identified that as our most efficient delivery method."
St. John explained that a neighborhood box is a free-standing box located on a city block that contains within it separate boxes for each residence on that block.
St. John said there is nothing the post office can do about vehicles being parked in front of a mail box.
"It's in our best interest to deliver all the mail every day," St. John explained. "If we could get people on those streets to not park in front of those mailboxes, it would be more helpful for everyone involved."